Corbett campaigns for governor at fair

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

By COLIN VAN WESTEN Special to The Pilot

Republican candidate for governor Ron Corbett talked to local Republicans at the Clay County Fair this weekend. He is currently the mayor of Cedar Rapids, but will not seek re-election. / Photo by Colin Van Westen

Current mayor of Cedar Rapids and former Iowa speaker of the House of Representatives Ron Corbett campaigned for governor at the Clay County Fair this weekend.

“I have always seen this as the Branstad era coming to a close. ... I believe that primaries are good because it gets the candidates out working,” Corbett said. “It also sharpens the message and builds the party. Kim Reynolds and I are both hard workers and we both have statewide experience. We both have local government experience also. I am a stronger fiscal conservative than she is.”

Corbett’s vision for Iowa includes what he calls his “Core Four” issues. He wants to modernize tax system so it is conducive to a growth economy. He wants to use the growth to help the regents schools and Iowa’s community colleges because he said if tuition increases continue at the same rate, they will make Iowa’s post-secondary schools less competitive. He wants to improve Iowa’s water quality and watershed management. The third issue he is focusing on is returning Iowa to the number status for K-12 education. He said improving teacher’s salaries, which have slipped to the middle of the pack, is a good starting point. Fourth is to find a better alternative to Obamacare which he said is failing.

“My background of being in the Iowa Legislature for 13 years and being the speaker of the House, that is the top legislative post in the House of Representatives. So I know the inner workings of the legislative process,” Corbett said.

“Often times that’s what happens to public policy, it gets stymied in the legislative process and having the background of state government experience along with being the executive, the mayor, of Iowa’s second largest city,” Corbett said.

Being a mayor during a very challenging time, we had the worst natural disaster in Iowa history back in 2008. I also have some business experience, running a Chamber of Commerce and running my own small business called Peppy’s Ice Cream.”